Estel won't eat his greens
by Beautiful-Chaos-Girl
Summary: A certain four year old is driving his brother round the bend with his dinner time refusals. But is he any match for imagination? Read and review :)


"No" Estel said simply, sucking in his lips and turning his head away. Elrohir sighed in frustration and tried again to manoeuvre the fork laden with collard greens into his little brother's mouth. Again, Estel screwed up his face and turned away.

"How does Ada cope with this? This child barely eats enough to sustain a sparrow!" Elrohir exclaimed, plunking down the fork onto the plate.

Elladan smiled "only when it comes to anything nutritious or healthy. When it comes to sweets he'll stuff himself until he's sick"

Elrohir smirked "you have a point there. But that doesn't help me now" he picked up the fork and tried one last time "C'mon Estel, one little bite for _lye gwador_?" (Your brother)

"No!" Estel said petulantly, clamping his hands over his mouth.

"Ach! I give up!" Elrohir dropped the fork and threw up his hands.

"What's this?" Elrond called cheerfully as he strolled into the dining hall "The infamous stubbornness of Imaldris's most obdurate warrior finally met its match? What foe could be so mighty?"

"It is Estel Ada. Elrohir cannot find a way to convince him to eat his greens" Elladan told him

"So, the wilful little one claims another victim." Elrond said cheerfully. "Well, Estel you have defeated the son. How will you fare against the father?" he took a seat in front of the two year old, taking the green laden fork in hand.

"Well I wish you well Ada. If you do it you are a greater elf than I" Elrohir declared, bowing and taking his leave. Elladan did likewise and followed after him. Elrohir smirked to himself. There was NO way Estel would eat those greens. Not even Ada could convince him

Elrond, however, obviously believed differently to his son. He showed no hesitation or second guessing as he fixed Estel with a steely gaze.

"Now, my obstinate little boy, shall we show your brother what your Ada can do?"

Estel tilted his head in confusion. Elrond grinned.

_10 minutes later…_

"Ro! Ro! Ro!"

Elrohir looked up from his sketching to see Estel hurtling towards him, a wide smile on his face.

"Yes? What is it, _tithen pen_?"

"Will you make me some a'brosha*? Ada said I could have some because I finished all my din'der**"

Elrohir gaped at him in gobsmacked disbelief. "You ate all your dinner? Even your greens?"

"Mm-hm"

Still in a daze, Elrohir stood and followed the child back into the keep. His father stood waiting by the door into the pantry, smiling calmly to himself. Elrohir threw him a look. He was desperate to know how in Arda his father had done it. But Elrond just kept smiling. Elrohir threw the ingredients for the simple desert together and gave it to Estel, all the while throwing confused glances back at his father. Elrond revealed nothing. Estel skipped happily away to the dining hall, his sugary reward in hand. When he had left Elrohir rushed to his father's side, following him out into the main hall.

"How did you do it?" he queried.

Elrond kept his cool "I don't know what you mean _ion nin_"

"C'mon Ada, just tell me"

"Tell you what?"

Elrohir sighed in exasperation "How you got Estel to eat his greens!"

"Oh _that_! That was simple." Elrond said as if it was just some trivial unimportant thing, as if he wasn't deliberately drawing it out for his own amusement.

"Yes, yes but how. Did. You. Do. It?" Elrohir insisted

Elrond grinned "I'm surprised you cannot guess Elrohir. Or at least remember…"

"Remember…"

"Yes. I did the same thing with Estel that I used to do with you. Cast your mind back and you'll find your answer" with that Elrond leaved him, striding out of the hall. Elrohir watched him go, staring after him in bewilderment. He paused for a moment before bolting off to find his brother.

"Elladan! Elladan!"

Elladan wished he could say he was surprised when his brother came haring up the path, yelling for him at the top of his lungs. He wished he could say it was the first time something like that had ever happened. But that wasn't the kind of brother he had. He had Elrohir instead. He sighed long-sufferingly and turned to meet his brother.

"What is it Elrohir?"

His brother skidded to a halt in front of him. "What did Ada do for us, when we wouldn't eat our greens?"

Elladan furrowed his brow and gawped at him. His brother had finally lost it.

"What are you talking about?"

Elrohir gave an expression of frustration as if it was Elladan who was being unreasonable. "What did Ada do, when we were younger, to convince us to eat our greens"

Elladan exhaled slowly, in an effort to keep calm. This looked set to drag out a while. He sat down on a low lying garden wall and Elrohir did likewise, collapsing down beside him.

"Why are you asking me this?"

Elrohir made that noise again, grating Elladan's nerves "Because I can't remember it! Why else would I be asking?"

"But why does it even matter to you?"

"That's what he did with Estel! He did in a few minutes what I've spent days trying to do! I have to know!"

Elladan shook his head. "You've just got to know everything don't you? Well, if it's so important I'll tell you. Make believe."

"What?"

"Make believe. With me he pretended they were orcs and I had to defeat them with my sword teeth. With you he told you he didn't believe you could eat your food like a lion and that you'd have to show him before he'd believe you. He probably did something similar with Estel."

Elrohir looked deflated by the simple explanation. "Make believe? Really? That's it?"

Elladan grinned "the world's a simpler place when you have an imagination Ro."

"Huh." Elrohir turned on his heel and strode back up the stairs. "Estel!" he called.

The aforementioned little one came bounding over, ruminants of his desert still on his face.

"Yes Ro?"

Elrohir's eyes glinted "I think there's a troll in your room. Will you help me look?"

"Sure!" Estel cried, running off in the direction of his room, Elrohir following behind. Elladan chuckled to himself. They had trying to get Estel to pick up his room for weeks. Elrohir was getting good at this...

* Ambrosia

** Dinner


End file.
